Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By King Princess, Zelig Records 2018.
King Princess is a multi-instrumentalist singer songwriter and producer who was born and raised in Brooklyn New York and this five-track EP is her debut and the first release on Mark Ronson’s new label.
It contains her breakout single 1950 and the impressive song, Talia, which has been streamed more that 100 million times and she’s added three previously unheard tracks to these singles, including the title track which has an accompanying video.
King Princess has achieved all this and yet she’s yet to play her first live show.
She’s the product of a musical family where apparently she spent much of her childhood tinkering on her father’s vintage Neve mixing board in his Brooklyn studio, Mission Sound.
At the age of 11 she turned down a record deal in favour of finishing school, which eventually led her to USC’s Thornton School of Music where she studied under legendary pianist and singer, Patrice Rushen.
King Princess’s reputation has grown so rapidly that her first ever live shows, at the Troubadour in Los Angeles and New York’s The Hall At Elsewhere, sold out within minutes.
Further stops on her inaugural tour include Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and more.
Does she deserve all this mania?
Well there’s no doubt that she is good, and this debut EP is intriguing enough to whet the appetite, but I think I’ll reserve further judgement until I’ve heard more of her work.
I can see why the lead singles 1950 and Talia have garnered interest although to my ears they are not unique enough to have them stand head and shoulders above the mass of other new releases.
Having said this I have found that 1950 worms its way into your consciousness after a couple of listens.
